CTO of an adventure experience start up here. Wanted to share my thoughts.
The adventures are curated specifically by Airbnb it looks like. They are mostly urban adventures so it doesn't cater to the adventure type. Overall the app is great. Little Netflix but it's nice.
The major issue with this and what we've seen is real adventures are really hard to get. Most of the outfitters have trust issues with technology because they have been burned by the 50 other companies that tried to do this but were sketchy. Gaining that trust is key and why they did this under Airbnb name is going to hurt them.
Exciting validation for us and a welcome competitor but you can't throw money at adventure market (climbing, skiing, fishing, diving, etc) and expect to gain traction. Takes connections, trust and a show of commitment to the industry.
"you can't throw money at adventure market and expect to gain traction".
Eh, yes you can. Not to say they'll make it this time, AirBnB has been trying this (or something like it) for years, they might well fail. But not because money can't gain traction :)
Not at all. They will cater exclusively to urban adventures. Branching out to real guided adventures will take them a long time. Trust me. Guides doing backcountry adventures are a whole different breed. It also takes an understanding of how permitting and licensing works for parks not to mention the exclusive land permits.
The adventures are curated specifically by Airbnb it looks like. They are mostly urban adventures so it doesn't cater to the adventure type. Overall the app is great. Little Netflix but it's nice.
The major issue with this and what we've seen is real adventures are really hard to get. Most of the outfitters have trust issues with technology because they have been burned by the 50 other companies that tried to do this but were sketchy. Gaining that trust is key and why they did this under Airbnb name is going to hurt them.
Exciting validation for us and a welcome competitor but you can't throw money at adventure market (climbing, skiing, fishing, diving, etc) and expect to gain traction. Takes connections, trust and a show of commitment to the industry.